Until We Meet Again
by BigTimeRush-BTR
Summary: It's the boys' first semester of college, and they're all struggling for different reasons. The fact that they're all going to different places to study definitely does not help, but they cling on to the hope that they'll see each other again soon.


**Hey, guys. I wrote this story for the College BTR Challenge, from the BTR Plot Adoption Forum. The challenge was basically to write a BTR story set during college - kind of self-explanatory, haha. This was supposed to be a one-shot, but unfortunately, I had to cut it into two parts. I hope to have the next part up soon. I hope you all enjoy. :)**

* * *

"Then Gustavo got upset at me because– Kendall? Are you even listening to me?"

Kendall shakes out of his reverie, his eyes moving away from where he had been lost, staring off into space, to face the phone perched against a couple of books in front of him. "What?" he asks as he moves to grab the phone with one hand. Then, when James' lips press together to form a frown, he slumps against his seat. "Sorry, I guess I zoned out."

"You've been doing that a lot lately," James comments, leaving Kendall at a loss for words. He's unsure of what to say to that, because as much as he hates to admit it, he knows it's true.

"Sorry." He sighs, bringing the hand he's not using to hold the phone to rub absentmindedly at the nape of his neck. "I've been so tired lately. It just sort of happens."

"Have you not been getting enough sleep?" James asks, his voice laced with concern.

"Not really," Kendall admits and stands from where he had been sitting at his desk, his legs guiding him in the direction of his bed. "Deadlines and all. It's kinda hard to get enough sleep when I have so much homework piled up."

"That must suck, dude," James says, and Kendall can't help but feel a twinge of jealousy towards his best friend. While he, Carlos and Logan had left Los Angeles to pursue college degrees, he had stayed behind to continue his dreams of being a solo artist. For now, BTR had been put on hold, and while being a part of a band had been stressful at times – especially with the constant bickering between him and Gustavo – there were times when he couldn't help but miss it. At least even with rehearsals, concerts, and fan encounters, he often found some time to himself. Now that the end of his first semester of college was nearing its end, he could barely find enough time to breathe.

"It does," he says, his head tilting back to rest against his headboard. "What were you saying about Gustavo?"

"He's just being a pain in the ass. Listen, man, you should get some sleep. It sounds like you need it."

"But we've barely even talked."

"We can talk later." James gives him a faint smile, which causes a familiar ache to slowly blossom in Kendall's chest.

"Are you sure?" he asks, feeling badly. Between classes and homework assignments, as well as James' rehearsal schedule, they hardly have any time to talk. He's missed it – he's missed James, as well as Carlos and Logan. It's only been a few months since he last saw all three of them, but regardless of how much time has actually passed, it's felt like an eternity. He guesses that's what happens when you get used to living with your best friends for three years straight.

"Yeah, of course. Maybe we can talk tomorrow?"

"I'd like that." Kendall smiles, his thumb hovering over the End Call button on his phone screen. "Talk to you tomorrow."

"Later," James says with a wave.

Kendall waves back, before pressing the red button and letting his phone drop onto the mattress beside him. His gaze moves back to his desk then, landing on the pile of books scattered there. He sighs, knowing fully well that he should probably start on the biology homework he was given earlier in class that day, but he's so tired, he can't be bothered to move from the bed.

Instead, he slides all the way down, until his head is resting on his pillow, and lets his eyes drift shut, exhaustion finally taking over.

* * *

As soon as Kendall ends the call, James stands from where he had been sitting on the floor, in the studio of Rocque Records. It's been a stressful day, and that's saying a lot seeing as every day is stressful with Gustavo as his producer. He had been hoping that maybe talking to Kendall would ease some of that stress, so while he does understand that his friend is probably tired, he can't help but feel slightly disappointed.

He looks down at the phone still held on the palm of his hand, while he debates whether he should try to call Carlos or Logan. One look at the clock, though, makes him realize that that probably isn't a good idea. It's now nearing three o'clock, which means Carlos is still in class, and he's pretty sure Logan has a class soon as well.

He feels tears prickling at his eyes then, but he blinks them away as he stuffs his phone into his pocket and makes his way back into the studio. To his relief, Gustavo is nowhere in sight – only Kelly is there, looking over a sheet of song lyrics as James enters the room.

"Where did Gustavo go?" James asks, moving around some chairs to take the one across from hers.

At his question, Kelly looks up and sets the sheet of lyrics on her lap. "Probably went to blow off some steam," she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

No sooner has she said this that a loud crash echoes from somewhere down the hall, followed by a string of curse words that cause James to flinch. He thought he'd be used to this by now, but it's hard to get used to Gustavo's constant yelling and fits of rage, even after working together for four years. When the other boys were there, Kendall would take most of the heat, but now it's just him.

_Lucky me_, he thinks as he gives Kelly a smile, which is so clearly forced. He's sure she notices it, too.

"You have to admit he's mellowed out a bit," Kelly says, as if having read his mind.

"A bit? If by 'a bit,' you mean like five percent, sure."

Kelly rolls her eyes at him playfully, a smile coming to her face. "Just give him some time."

"I didn't even do anything this time." He crosses his arms over his chest, frowning. "Just messed up a lyric, that's all."

"I know, but Griffin's really pushing him to get this single out soon. Sooner than he'd expected. You know that always puts him in a bad mood."

"I know, it's just…" He sighs, trailing off. "He's not the only one who's stressed," he says, not waiting for Kelly's response as he stands up and walks out of the room.

* * *

"Thanks for the help, Logan."

"Anytime." Logan smiles as Dustin, a boy from his chemistry class, waves at him after having stuffed his chemistry homework and textbook into his backpack. Logan watches him go with a satisfied smile. Tutoring had gone well today, but he was tired. He couldn't wait to go back to his dorm to relax with a nice book under his covers.

It had been no surprise to anyone when Logan had said he had applied to Harvard Medical School, and neither had it been a surprise when he announced that he had gotten accepted. Logan had always been extremely smart, even from a young age – it only made sense for him to apply to a university such as that one.

"_You're gonna do great,"_ Kendall had told him the day of his departure, just as he was about to board his plane to Boston. He had wanted to believe him then, and a part of him had, but he still had his doubts.

However, looking back on it now, things _are_ going well. He feels right at home in the university. He's at the top of his class, is all caught up on his assignments, and even helps out other students when they need it. He has no reason to complain, really, and yet, he can't help but feel like there's something missing. Or rather, _someone_ missing.

He knew that leaving his best friends would hurt, but he thought the feeling would subside with time, become a bit more bearable. And, in a way, he guesses it has, just a tiny bit, but the ache is still there, ever present in his chest, just like the day in which he left.

There are books scattered all around the table in front of him, as well as sheets of paper with scribbled up notes. He's quick to gather up the notes and put them back into his chemistry binder, before stuffing it, along with his textbook, into his backpack. With a grunt, he heaves the backpack over his shoulders and makes his way out of the library.

Outside, the temperature is cold, so he zips up his jacket and stuffs his hands into the pockets as he makes his way back to his dorm. It's times like these when he's grateful to have a dorm on campus – it only takes him about ten minutes to get there, and unlike outside, his dorm is warm and cozy.

"You're back early."

Logan forces a smile onto his face as he faces his roommate, a kid named Jack with shaggy blond hair and bottle green eyes that reminds him all too much of Kendall.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," he jokes, which earns a chuckle from his roommate. "But yeah, the kid I was helping out today didn't need a lot of help. Kinda glad he didn't. It's been a tiring week," he adds as he makes his way into the kitchen, where Jack is standing, leaning against the counter, with a Coke bottle pressed against his lips.

"I feel that," Jack says, pushing past Logan and into the living room. "Hey, I have this party I got invited to. I'm gonna be leaving soon, but… do you wanna come along?"

"I think I'm good, thanks." Logan smiles faintly, his hand resting against the refrigerator handle, eyes looking over what's inside it, which, to his disappointment, isn't much.

"You need to learn to have a little fun," Jack says playfully, his head poking in from the kitchen doorway.

"I _do_ have fun!"

"Mhm."

Before Logan can respond, Jack's footsteps are echoing down the hallway. Not even ten minutes later, he's exiting the front door, shouting something behind him about getting back before ten, which Logan can already tell probably won't be the case.

"Have fun!" Logan shouts before the front door closes behind Jack and he's left standing in complete silence.

Having nothing else to do, he goes into his room, grabs his copy of the _Lord of the Rings_ book he bought a couple of weeks ago, and opens it to the page he had last been reading. His eyes run over the words, but they don't quite formulate in his head, so after a moment he sets the book down. He then opts to laying on his side, his gaze falling on the calendar hanging on the wall, near the foot of his bed.

_Just ten more days_, he thinks, the ghost of a smile tugging on his lips.

* * *

"Now, students, remember, the final exam is this coming Monday, so make sure to take advantage of the weekend and study extra hard."

_What's the point?_ Carlos thinks as he gathers his things and moves quickly towards the classroom exit, his eyes not meeting those of anyone around him. Outside the room, the halls are buzzing with people, most of whom are rushing to get to their next class.

He passes by them in a hurry, thinking about the fact he probably _should_ be walking to his next class, but he can't be bothered to. Instead, he lets his feet guide him outside, where the air is chilly and the clouds are turning a dark grey – the early signs of a storm that's brewing.

Though he knows he shouldn't, especially at a time like this, he makes his way to a park that's near his university, which, to his relief, is practically deserted at the moment. Wrapping his arms around himself in an attempt to keep warm, he finds his way to a swing set and takes a seat on one of the swings, his backpack left discarded under a nearby tree.

For a moment, he just sits there, staring up at the sky. But's it's only minutes later when his vision starts to blur, tears falling before he even realizes they're there. Ironically, it's at that exact moment that droplets of water start to fall from the sky, first only in a slight drizzle, and then so hard that they cause his hair to cling to his forehead.

He feels pathetic, sitting here by himself, with rain pouring over him. He feels even more pathetic by the fact that he can't stop crying, but it's like he's not even in control of his own emotions anymore. His heart weighs heavily in his chest, feeling more like an anchor than an organ. He feels helpless, lost, and he's not quite sure who to turn to. Sure, he has James, Logan and Kendall, but they're all so far away. Kendall's the only one that's not in another state, but they're both in different cities, and as much as he wants to run to him for comfort, he can't bring himself to do so.

His grades are slipping, and he can't even be bothered to do anything about it. He knew this would happen – he tried his best not to let it happen, but eventually it did, and now he's unsure of what to do. He's too scared to tell his parents; too scared to see the disappointment in their faces when they realize he's failed his first semester of college, but he knows the day will come, and he's dreading it more and more with each passing day.

Shivering from head to toe, he stands on wobbly legs and grabs his backpack from the ground. He unzips it then, grabs his hoodie from inside, and puts it on, before making his way back to his house. The streets are now empty, as he expected them to be, which is a bit of a relief.

When he gets to his house, he goes inside quietly, knowing that his mom is probably home and will start asking questions if she sees the state he is currently in. He trudges up the steps, his clothes clinging to his skin, wishing that he could just magically teleport himself into his room.

"Carlos, is that you?"

He freezes in mid-step, his head slowly moving in the direction of his mother's voice. She is standing at the foot of the stairs, looking up at him with a questioning look.

"Hi, mami," he says, giving her the best smile he can muster, silently praying she won't be able to see right through it.

"What are you doing home early, mijo?" she asks, moving a couple of steps closer towards the stairs. "And why are you soaking wet?"

"Class got cancelled," he says, not at all surprised by how easy it is to lie to his own mother. He's gotten quite good at it by now. "And I had to walk home."

"You should have called me." His mother frowns. "I've told you that before."

"I know, mami."

"Hurry and get changed, you're gonna catch a cold," she says, waving him off. "And when you're done, come downstairs. I made arroz con pollo for dinner."

"I will." He doesn't look at her as he runs the rest of the way downstairs, stopping only when he's in his room with the door closed behind him.

_Well, this will be a fun dinner_, he thinks, already feeling the anxiety start to kick in.

* * *

**I tried to give the boys an equal amount of time, though I think Carlos' part may have been a bit longer than the others', oops. I know things may seem kinda sad now for each of them (especially Carlos), but the next part should be happier. :)**

**Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed.**

**~ BigTimeRush-BTR :)**


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